Subject: MS Tuesday Letter
From: <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:30:00 -0500

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  MIDDLE SCHOOL TUESDAY LETTER
  
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FROM THE SCHOOL
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This Week's Query
How can we be respectful to all religions during the holiday season?

Notes From Sally
The 7/8 orchestral and choral groups will perform their winter 
concert on Wednesday evening at 7 PM in the Arts Center theater. The 
program will be repeated at 1:55 PM on Friday afternoon. Parents are 
welcome to attend these performances.

5th and 6th grade parents: a reminder that the 5/6 orchestra and 5th 
grade chorus will perform in January. For all concerts the dress 
requirements are as follows: Boys - black* pants, black* shoes, white 
dress shirt, any color tie. Girls - Black* pants or skirt, white top 
(must have sleeves) and black* shoes. (*or the darkest you own.) No 
tennis shoes please.

Please consider contributing to our holiday gift drive for children 
at Martha's Table and Rosemount Center. Boxes are in the Middle 
School lobby, and the deadline is this Friday.

This year is No Name-Calling Year in the Middle School and the 
Diversity Committee invites you to participate in our "Big Read", an 
opportunity for our community to read books that explore issues in 
diversity and promote discussion. This year, we have chosen two books 
for the Big Read: Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja for grades 5/6 and Quaking 
by Kathryn Erskine for grades 7/8. Both Buddha Boy and Quaking are 
categorized as being appropriate for children of middle school age. 
We invite all students, parents, faculty and staff to read these 
books and ask you to participate in our discussion about diversity 
and tolerance.

Buddha Boy tells the story of Justin, a boy who faces difficult 
decisions about words he will use and actions he will take regarding 
Jinsen, a "different", artistic student who experiences name-calling 
and bullying. The challenges of friendship, the impact of 
name-calling, and the true meaning of "karma" are prominent themes in 
this story.

Quaking's 14 year old "Matt" (Matilda) dresses and acts in ways to 
keep people away. But when she moves into her last possible foster 
care placement, a Quaker family in Pennsylvania, she faces a new 
level of intolerance from her peers and even a teacher. While her new 
community is in the grips of disagreement about the war in Iraq after 
9/11, Matt must examine her own beliefs and ultimately conquer her 
fears about trust and acceptance.

We hope families will read these selections over winter break so that 
the whole Middle School, students and adults, can talk about the 
issues in these stories. If you cannot find copies of the book at 
your public library, we will have extra copies available in the MS 
office, library and through 5/6 and 7/8 teachers starting the week of 
Dec. 17th. Stay tuned for more information about the "Big Read" 
before the winter break. Contact Julia Porter if you have questions.

Are you planning family travel that will necessitate your child's 
absence from school? While we understand that these are often 
important family occasions, we also hope that you recognize that 
missing school creates difficulties for your child and for his/her 
teachers. If absences are absolutely necessary, we ask that you 
follow the following procedures:

Please notify both the office and the child's homeroom 
teacher/advisor as far in advance as possibly that such an absence 
will take place. Parents should then notify all of the child's 
teachers of the absence in the week prior to the trip. While we will 
attempt to pull material together for the child in advance, it is not 
possible to develop a comprehensive list of assignments ahead of 
time. The student is responsible for checking Haiku for homework 
during the trip and for seeing each teacher upon his/her return to 
obtain a list of missing work and due dates for such work. Teachers 
are not expected to reteach material covered during the student's 
absence.

It is important for parents to understand that it is impossible to 
duplicate the experience of being in class and that a decision for a 
child to miss an extended period of time should be the rare exception 
rather than the rule. Absences put children under undue pressure in 
our already rigorous curriculum.

Chorus and Orchestra Announcements
CONCERT WEEK

Monday, December 10th

Girls Ensemble 3:45-4:45 in chorus room w/Matt

(instrumentalists are excused to be with Mr. H on stage)

Tuesday, December 11th

Boys Ensemble 7:25

ALL singers in the December program---meet in chorus room-2:30 
(sharp)-5:30

Wednesday, December 12th

Boys Ensemble 7:25

ALL singers report to the Arts Center at 8:15 SHARP - you will be 
missing C period - teachers are aware of this rehearsal

CONCERT---Call time is 7:00pm in the MS chorus room - Dress: Black 
and Whites

Friday, December 14th

CONCERT at 1:55/Chorus call time: 1:25 in chorus room - Black and 
Whites

Fair Share Fund
Your participation counts toward the 90 for 90 Challenge!

The Fair Share Fund has reached 51 percent parent participation-your 
commitment is needed to reach 90 percent participation by December 31 
to receive an additional $90,000 in support. Please make your gift or 
pledge today!

Thank you to everyone who has already made a commitment to the Fair 
Share Fund!

What does $90,000 mean to the students? Here are two NEW examples:

$90,000 pays for almost all the dental, vision, disability, and life 
insurance for faculty.

$90,000 covers transportation to athletic events.

Parent volunteers continue to make calls. You may contribute by 
speaking with a parent volunteer, going online to 
www.sidwell.edu/support, phoning 202-537-8126, or mailing your 
contribution to the Office of Institutional Advancement, Sidwell 
Friends School, 3825 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016.

Your participation counts! Thank you.

2013 SFS Live Auction
Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 27, 2013, for the 41st Annual 
Auction, Starry Night: A Celebration in the Countryside in the 
Athletic Center at Sidwell Friends School. All auction net proceeds 
go directly to student financial aid. This will be a fabulous event 
you won't want to miss! Stay tuned for your save-the-date postcard in 
the mail which will reveal very exciting details about this year's 
event.

We need your help! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation 
to the auction. Do you have any special ideas, talents, or 
connections that you could donate or help us to arrange? For 
questions, please contact [email-masked]. We're especially 
looking for:

* Gift certificates to dine at your favorite restaurant

* Vacation homes or other special getaways

* Access to unique experiences

* Tickets to sporting or cultural events

* Special wines and spirits

* Pampering connections for spas and beauty/health services

* Your own culinary expertise

* Toys and electronics

* Any extra American Express points, Thank You rewards, or airline 
frequent flier miles that we can use to buy items or plane tickets

Not sure what to donate? Click here for 
inspiration<http://animoto.com/play/Q8WeGKhfi3tIq3DinsDIOQ>. Please 
fill out the Auction Donation Contract 
http://www.sidwell.edu/data/files/gallery/ContentGallery/Auction_Donation_Contract_20122013_x.pdf
 and fax to 202-537-8449, mail to the school or e-mail to 
[email-masked] OR you may donate directly online by clicking here 
https://secure.maestroweb.com/Donate.aspx?OrgID=15.  Our deadline is 
February 1, 2013. Thank you for your support!

2013 Auction Chairs

Ginger Dietrich (Olivia '24) and Maggie Prieto (Olivia '14 and Felisa 
'16)

Grandparents Day
This year the Middle School will host Grandparents Day on May 10, 
2013. We want to make sure each student's grandparent receives our 
event invitation. If you haven't already done so, please provide the 
following information to Andrea Briones at [email-masked]. 
Save-the-date postcards will be mailed to grandparents in January. 
Thank you!

- Student Name

- Class Year/Grade

- All Grandparents Names (First and Last) and Mailing Addresses, 
E-mail Addresses and Phone Numbers

Holiday Gift Wrap Fundraiser
Innisbrook is a program offering gourmet chocolates and treats, 
unique gift items, and quality gift wrap. Forty cents of every dollar 
from your purchases benefits Sidwell Friends' student financial aid 
program. Visit www.innisbrook.com or 
<http://www.sidwell.edu/broadcast/action/clickthru.aspx?id=366.1828.1108603.78250.9259>
 for more information and to place your orders. When entering the 
site, please click the blue box on the right side of the screen that 
reads "Family & Friends Support a Fundraiser: Shop the Innisbrook 
Online Store." Next, enter the SFS school code: 106348. Please be 
sure to enter this code correctly so that 40 percent of the proceeds 
are properly recorded to our school. Happy Holidays!

Summer Amazon Rainforest Trip for Current SFS 7th and 8th Graders!!
Experience the tremendous variety of living things found in the 
rainforest on this 10-day trip to the Amazon River basin of Northern 
Peru.

Explore the forest from the ground with naturalist guides and work 
alongside scientists studying the forest canopy! Highlights include 
ascending 115 feet to a ¼- mile canopy walkway to conduct canopy 
research, taking river explorations looking for piranha and Pink 
River Dolphins, looking for and learning about unusual insects and 
plants in an ethno-botanical garden, and searching for rainforest 
birds early in the morning and night life when it's dark. We will 
also be interacting with local Yagua Indians to learn about their 
culture and taking part in a half-day project with a local community 
to find out more about their lives.

Margaret Pennock will be leading this student group with 
Environmental Expeditions, an educational organization focused on 
environment, sustainability, and culture. Interested students should 
pick up an information packet from Margaret as soon as possible.

Important Information Session: Tuesday, Dec. 18th at 7pm in Drama 
Studio

Tentative Trip dates: June 28 - July 7

Approximate Cost: $2,000-$2,150 (depending on group size) + 
approximately $1300 for air fare.

Deposit: A $400 deposit is due no later than January 15th.

All Sidwell Friends Community Meeting for Worship
You are cordially invited to join us this holiday season for an 
All-Community Meeting for Worship in the new Robert L. Smith Meeting 
Room on the Wisconsin Avenue campus. Sidwell Friends invites parents, 
alumni, past parents, students, and employees and past employees to 
gather for silence and quiet reflection.  Help us welcome the New 
Year in silent worship.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

10:30 a.m.

Robert L. Smith Meeting Room

PA ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Community Service Corner
In the Spirit of Giving: It's time for the Annual All-School Holiday 
Gift Giving Event! Please consider donating unwrapped gifts and 
wrapping paper to our long time community partners, Rosemount Center 
and Martha's Table. Gifts should be for children ages infant-18. 
Collection boxes will be in the MS lobby until Friday December 14.

OTHER NEWS
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Sidwell Friends Wrestling Tournament
The award winning Sidwell Friends wrestling team will host the annual 
Sidwell Friends Invitational to be held on Saturday, December 15, 
2012, in the Upper School Athletic Center. The tournament will 
feature the best wrestling teams in our region, including Georgetown 
Prep, Georgetown Day, Maret, and Mercersburg Academy, among others. 
The SFS team, led by Coach Lou Heberer, has had an unrivaled record 
of success for many years. Please come and fill the stands with SFS 
families cheering for our dedicated wrestlers. The team needs the 
support of the entire Sidwell Friends community to raise funds to pay 
for team travel and expenses. SFS students and children, ages 10 and 
younger, attend for free. The gate opens at 8:30 am and team parents 
will sell your favorite breakfast snacks, lunch and drinks throughout 
the day at a well-stocked concession stand close to the action. The 
daylong tournament starts at 9 am. For updates about the tournament 
and schedule questions, please contact Cressida McKean at 
[email-masked] or Nellie Bristol at [email-masked].

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Sidwell Friends School
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Washington, DC 20016
Tel: (202) 537 8100
Fax: (202) 537 8499
http://www.sidwell.edu/
               
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